Now she's stronger than you know.

She's saw it from the higher reaches of Fate's Summit, a great tree that stretched high into the sky as though competing with the mountain's peak. Rea stared at it for some time, knowing it hadn't been there before - it stood tall and proud in the place where she recalled the neighbouring Elysium's wolves had claimed land. Where was the respite? How could a tree sprout and grow so strong overnight? Was that water that circled between the branches, glistening silver in the midday sun's rays?

She had to see it up close, she had to know more!

Eager to reach it before any of her siblings caught wind of this strange new growth, Rea began her swift descent. She arrived at an odd  roots of the grand tree with wide-eyed wonder, lifting her snout to take in the sheer size of it from across the bridge. “Woooah,” she breathed, awed and intrigued, and found herself considering if magic truly existed to replace Vanderfell's neighbours with such a wonder! Too bold for her own good, Rea moved to step without fear onto the first wooden slats of the bridge that would bring her closer.


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The older man huffed as he wandered, he was really tired of being abandoned lately. First he was thrown into a random new land and as soon as he got his legs under him with his clan, they vanished. Not only that, but even the kind wolf pack that took him in also vanished, leaving him confused and alone. However, instead of going out and asking for help or crying, he chose to keep the annoyance in and simply be grumpy. And so, he wandered, huffing as he walked around in a bit of a mood. The sound of another caught his attention and he looked up at the younger wolf, raising an eyebrow at her and looking over at the tree that she was staring at. "It's a tree..." He said simply, not knowing why she cared so much about that.

He watched the girl step onto the bridge and jumped onto a nearby rock, watching her closely. "At least tell me your name before you fall to your death."

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There was not an ounce of hesitation as Rea strode forward, not even when she felt the wooden slats shift and creak beneath her weight. She pressed forward until all four paws were firmly on the bridge, pausing only for a moment to be sure that she would not slip or lose her footing on an unfamiliar surface. Satisfied, she prepared to carry on, though a stranger's voice kept her rooted in place as she blinked in surprise over a scrawny shoulder.

Seaglass eyes narrowed on the strange little creature, she scoffed: “thank you,” the yearling lashed her tail in annoyance at the disruption, “Captain Obvious! I've lived here my whole life, and this-” she moved, looking forward again to look upon the grand tree and its mysterious, swirling rings of water that circled its trunk, “has just appeared.”

Rea strutted onward then, choosing to ignore his request for her name and definitely not appreciating the suggestion that she'd plummet to her death.


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He watched the young wolf struggle to get across the bridge, watching it shift and shake under her footing. For a moment, he considered trying to scare her, but also didn't want a pups death on his paws. So instead, he chose to simply scoff and roll his eyes at her. "That's not how trees work, pup." He chuckled to himself, watching the young child struggle. 

He began to groom himself lazily, but kept an eye out for the kid, remembering her scent in case he had to go run to her pack to tell them of her falling to her death.

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The feline assumed her to struggle, but Rea never struggled. Everyone around her were of the assumption that she was some fragile little thing, weakened by her affliction, made useless or delicate or in need of constant supervision. She was not a fortunate creature, clearly, but never did her confidence sway in anything she put her mind to. Her heart still longed for the life of a warrioress, and still Rea reached to achieve the unachievable.

She did not care for the cat. She did not care to think how he, a stranger who did not know her or her abilities, might think her weak or stupid. The yearling snorted her amusement at the mitted watcher's retort; “well, this one did.” Rea didn't give a damn if he believed her or not and definitely wasn't prepared to linger and argue with him, so on she went across the bridge to better look upon the grand tree that'd sprouted overnight.


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The older man clearly didn't believe the child and rolled his eyes once again, but curiosity got the better of him. Jumping down from the rock he would quickly rush across the bridge, feeling the wood planks shifting under him. His tail flicked wildly behind him as he kept his balance rather easily, making it to the other wide quickly. He wasn't going to go slowly like the child, no it was better to just go for it all at once. 

Sure enough, he made it to the tree and attempted to slip himself under the young wolf, looking up at the tree and standing between her front paws if she didn't move away. "If this tree appeared over night as you said, then enlighten me how some shit like that could happen." He said simply, though this time, it didn't seem like he was trying to mock her, he had a bit of curiosity in his voice now. But of course he would never say it outloud.

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She was surprised to see the cat lope on across the bridge ahead of her, swift and silent on his nimble paws. Rea observed his fluid movement with a hunter's appreciation. While she was fast, she was not nearly as balanced as the little feline. Envy bloomed briefly within her belly as she watched him. Choosing not to dwell on the misfortune of her own clumsiness, the mottled youth carried on confidently until her paws were planted safely on the grasses of solid land.

Her attention once more turned toward the grand tree when the cat, much to her surprise, positioned himself neatly between her forelimbs. Her body tensed as he moved in close, her mind conjuring the idea of him latching onto her leg with teeth or claws, and she eyed him with quiet suspicion. Suddenly she was anxious of moving despite the desire to step over and away, remaining rooted to the spot as her little companion piped up in question. “I don't know,” she responded sharply, “but it did.”


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He made no move to attack her and was a bit thankful she didn't attack him either. As she was large enough to do some decent damage to him. He watched the tree with a bit of newfound curiosity, flicking his tail slightly behind him as he stayed sat between her front legs. "Interesting." He mused before looking up at her, flicking an ear. "You want to climb it?" He asked randomly. 

Sure, she was a wolf, but he was sure with enough effort she could climb the tree, at least a little bit. Was it the smartest thing to do? Probably not. But he wanted to do it anyway.

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She didn't really like this creature who'd chosen to tag along, she decided. Rea made no move to cause him harm, though she figured she'd be more successful in ignoring him. So after a contemplative hum at his suggestion that she climb the mysterious tree (was he crazy?), the mottled youth straightened herself and carried on moving to see it from another angle.

Songbirds twittered in the branches overhead, suggestion to Rea that the tree was safe. Her tension slackened and she pressed on quietly, long enough that the feline seemed to tire of her silence. She forgot all about him and lingered there for a time, curious to see if anything interesting would come of it, but it remained rooted.
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